64,000 arrested or turned away at U.S. southern border in August

Acting Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Mark Morgan speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on Sept. 9, 2019. The United States arrested or turned away 64,000 people at the Southern border in August, registering a third consecutive month in decline, according to an official Monday. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

The United States arrested or turned away 64,000 people at the Southern border in August, registering a third consecutive month in decline, according to an official Monday.

Acting Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Mark Morgan told a press briefing that the latest figure represented a 22 percent decrease from July and more than halved compared to May figure.

“The president has made it very clear that he’s going to use every tool available to him and this administration to address this unprecedented crisis at the southern border,” Morgan said at the briefing.

Morgan praised the Mexican government for stepping up the effort to stem illegal immigrants entering the United States, noting the Mexican government apprehended 134,000 people so far this year, compared with 83,000 people for the entire year of 2018.

The Trump administration has previously threatened the Mexican government with tariffs if it did not help with stopping illegal immigrants from entering the United States, after arrests spiked to a 13-year-high of more than 130,000 people in May.